Chapter 15: The Final Push

The stadium was electric after Jason's second goal.

The scoreboard read 2-1, but Jason knew the match wasn't over.

There were still 20 minutes left.

And in football, anything could happen.

Coach Moreno called out from the sideline. "Stay sharp! Don't let your guard down!"

Jason nodded, glancing around at his teammates.

They were tired.

The opposition had been pressing aggressively all match, and now, desperation was setting in.

Jason knew they would throw everything forward to try and equalize.

And that meant one thing—

Opportunities to counter.

The Opponents' Desperation

As soon as play resumed, the other team pushed forward aggressively.

Their midfielders started taking more risks, sending long balls into the box and committing more players forward.

Jason saw it immediately—

They were exposed at the back.

Rodrigo noticed it too. He jogged up next to Jason. "They're desperate, bro. We can finish them off if we play it right."

Jason smirked. "Exactly what I was thinking."

But before they could go for the kill—

A mistake.

One of their defenders, Felix, misplaced a pass.

The ball fell right to the opposing striker.

Jason's eyes widened.

The striker turned quickly and fired a shot toward goal—

BOOM!

Henderson, their goalkeeper, dived at full stretch—

And barely got his fingertips on it.

The ball slammed against the post and bounced away.

Jason exhaled.

That was too close.

They couldn't afford any more mistakes.

Jason's System Kicks In

As Jason repositioned himself, the system activated.

[Striker's Instinct: Match Awareness Activated]

Predict defensive weaknesses… Scanning…

Identify counterattack opportunities… Updating…

Jason's vision sharpened.

He could see the gaps before they even opened.

The opposition's center-backs had pushed too high again.

If they lost possession, there would be a massive space behind them.

Jason turned to Rodrigo. "Be ready. The next time we get the ball, we go fast."

Rodrigo nodded. "Got it."

The Killer Blow

85th minute.

The opposition was still pressing hard.

Their full-backs had pushed forward.

Their defenders were stretched.

Then—

A crucial interception.

Marco, their center-back, won the ball and immediately sent it forward.

Rodrigo received it and took one touch before launching a long pass over the defense.

Jason exploded into a sprint.

It was a race between him and Bianchi.

Jason pushed forward, using every ounce of speed he had.

Bianchi tried to grab his shirt—

But Jason shrugged him off and kept running.

He reached the ball just before the goalkeeper—

And chipped it.

The ball floated gracefully over the keeper's outstretched arms—

And dropped into the net.

GOAL!!!

The crowd erupted.

Jason clenched his fists and let out a roar.

Hat-trick.

3-1.

The match was over.

Rodrigo sprinted over and tackled him to the ground.

"YOU'RE INSANE, BRO!"

Jason grinned, breathless.

The system notification popped up in his vision.

[Mission Complete: Score a Hat-trick in Your First Start]

Finishing +2

Acceleration +1

Match Awareness +1

Jason smirked.

This was just the beginning.